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Subwoofers

I'm looking at subwoofers, my speakers are Sonus Faber Olympica III. I have looked at a lot of subs to the point of overloaded. I'm leaning toward REL S812 X 2 due to room size. My living room, kitchen and dining room are open with a 24 foot vaulted ceiling, area is 35 X  25. 

JL Audio, Rythmik, PSA, HSU, to name a few have been checked out. 

HELP!

greywolf
greywolf OP
31 posts
 

Carbons are more than I want to spend. 

what do you all think of this sub 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_265B1122WA/Revel-Performa3-B112v2-High-Gloss-Walnut.html?tp=187

 

sls883
184 posts
 

@greywolf I haven't heard the Revel, but I notice that it only has line level inputs.  Maybe that works for you, but I like connecting the REL with speaker level for two channel.  It also has separate line level inputs for a LFE channel if your system doubles as a home theatre line mine does.  You can use both inputs simultaneously and it has separate gain controls for each.  

I also noticed that the crossover frequency is shown as 50 to 150.  To get my subs to blend, I'm considerably lower than 50. Not sure if that's a problem.

greywolf OP
31 posts
 

Thanks sls883, two channel system with a NAD M12 preamp with 2 sub outs. Used for TV, music and streaming movies.

Never had a sub with high level hook up.  

sls883
184 posts
 

The really nice thing about having high level and the LFE input is that I can set the high level output low for music and crank up the LFE gain for movies.  If you are using the subs for home theatre, I think I'd go with the REL S812 if you like loud explosions, etc.  The S510 would work for some people, but I like a little more for home theater especially in my large room.  I don't know if other subwoofer brands will also do this. Perhaps they will.

I lucked out and got both of my REL subs new for under $4500.  You probably won't get a deal like that, but I would guess that some of the larger online resellers would discount 10% if you call them (Music Direct, Audio Advisor, Crutchfield, etc).

big_greg
6,622 posts
 

Why REL?  You'll get a lot more bang for your buck, and great sound with a pair of Rythmik G25HPs.  With REL you're paying at least half the price of the sub for marketing and dealer markup.  With Rythmik (and other internet direct options), there's not all that overhead. 

If you're worried about the durability of the Rythmiks, I have had my F25s for about 8 years now, and am not the original owner.  They are probably at least 10 years old.  Amps and replacement drivers are still available in the event something were to fail.  

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